Getting a gym membership: what to look for

Almost every person at some point of time feels the necessity to become a better version of what they are. Whether it is because of peer pressure or the inner call, we all feel that we need to improve ourselves on the aspects of life we have been ignoring or were too busy to care about.

For all men, a big part of this transformation almost certainly involves becoming physically stronger, leaner, and muscular. There is no denying the fact that looking visually better is always a man’s dream (whether he accepts it or not), and deep down in his mind he adores the idea of looking and feeling better about his appearance. Now with the kind of busy life we lead that may not be always possible, but if given a chance, a man will always do something to look leaner, muscular and better.

As I had written in my previous article, possibly the best destination for achieving the physique of your dreams has to be the gym. Its not just about the equipments that a good gym has in place to help you get in shape, but watching others working their ass off to build a stronger physique will always motivate one to work harder, thus creating a conducive environment for intense workout sessions.

However, getting membership in the right kind of gym may not be as easy as it seems, especially if you are joining for the first time. With having no idea as to what kind of gym to go for to achieve the kind of physique you want, it’s a common mistake to pick up a gym that does not have the necessary equipments to support your goals. This article is to help you out in finding the right kind of gym for you. I will try to add as many factors that you might want to look for. Here you go.

Your own goals and budget: This indeed is the most important factor that will affect what kind of gym you want to join. How much budget can YOU allocate month-on-month? What are YOUR goals? How do YOU want to look like? Do you want to lose body fat and look leaner? Going for a gym that has only weights and no cardio equipments will not adequately serve your purpose. Look for a gym that has a plethora of cardio equipments and maybe an indoor track, along with some free weights to complement the cardio training. Similarly, if your objectives are to gain muscle mass and/or becoming stronger, you need to look for a gym that has a good range of free weights and machines. In this case, you might not need a gym that has cardio equipments. If you look forward to competing in bodybuilding or strongman competitions, you must look for a hardcore bodybuilding gym that has really good variety of machines and stock of free weights, and qualified trainers to assist you in pursuing your goals.

Availability of basic equipments: While looking for a gym, you must consider one which has at least all of the basic equipments.

It must have bars of all sizes and shapes. Small and medium length bars for doing curls, extensions and shoulder presses, and long bars for more serious exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench press etc. It must have E-Z bars for doing curls and extensions without putting strain on the wrist.

It must have a good and well maintained stock of plates of different weights, and sets of dumbbells starting from low weights and going all the way up to fairly heavy weights. Presence of some machines are almost compulsory in a good gym, such as cable-pulley machines with preferably adjustable heights for doing a plethora of different cable exercises with handle attachments (straight bar, V-bar, rope attachments, etc.), cannot live without it. Some others like leg extension-cum-leg curl machine and smith machine are kind of mandatory in my opinion.

Presence of different types of benches is a must for any gym. In addition to the normal flat benches without and with racks for holding barbells, it must also have incline and decline benches, which allows one to do bench presses at different angles. Presence of benches where you can adjust the angle of incline and/or decline is favourable.

Miscellaneous equipments, viz. Racks, stability balls and stability belts: The gym must have some of the compulsory racks. Squat racks (its best to have a power rack), parallel bars for doing dips and overhead bar for chin ups are mandatory haves for any gym. In addition, gyms having stability balls are at an advantage because of the plethora of core and stability exercises that can be done on these balls. The gym must also have stability belts for safety measures, or for people with lower back problems (Though I strongly recommend against using them for beginners with perfectly healthy back, more on that in an upcoming article).

Environment: Environment inside a gym is a major factor to consider. What types of people come to train in the gym? Is the gym maintained properly and on a regular basis? Is the gym way too much crowded during your preferred timings? Are the staffs working there friendly and helpful? These are some of the things one must know/understand before enrolling for a membership (either from feedback or by observation), since the environment and the workout mentality of people around you will almost surely affect the way you workout and your progress. If the majority of people you work out with are not seriously into iron pumping, and you have serious drive to work out intensely, chances are you will not be able to blend in very well with them.

Maintenance of the gym and the number of people working out also are some of the factors you must consider. If the gym is not maintained on a regular basis, some of the equipments will not be functioning correctly (a frictional cable pulley machine/smith machine comes to mind). That might hamper your training and cause some injury in the long run. Also if the gym is too crowded during your preferred hours, you might not get a chance to use the equipments as frequently as you intend to use. If you have to wait for quite some time to get a chance to do your next set or even start the workout, chances are you will get frustrated or lose your pump, resulting in not so fruitful workout sessions.

A gym’s own protocols: Some gyms have their own protocols that they ask you to follow. There are gyms which actually will forbid you to do certain workouts in the gym (deadlifts come to mind). Reason? Such workouts can cause injuries, they are not safe, there are safer alternatives, blah blah blah. While it is understandable that statistically certain workouts have caused more injuries in the past, it is also understandable that if under proper supervision, such workouts are perfectly safe to perform and are extremely effective. There are some other “Beauty Gyms” (that’s my trademark term BTW) that will stop you from going heavy altogether; not at all, not even a single day in the month. If you are not okay with such gyms, dump them and move on.

Ventilation: Is the gym properly ventilated? With tens of people sweating their ass out in a room, this is a major factor. If the ventilation is not proper, this will result in temperature of the room getting sore and uncomfortable to workout. The type of ventilation is also important. Personally, I prefer gyms with fans over gyms with air-conditioned ventillation; first, they are cheaper, and second, such kind of ventilation trains the body to adapt to the natural climate and endure, and trust me, that is of phenomenal importance in building up your natural stamina and endurance.

Instructors: The instructors must be friendly and should be able to help you out in your workouts. It is definitely a plus if he is certified, if not, atleast having couple of years of experience in serious lifting is definitely desirable. He must have complete knowledge on free weight and machine exercises, and how these exercises train the muscles. He must have an attitude of a friend and a guide inside the gym, someone you can approach for anything you want.

Other important facilities: A standard gym must provide some other facilities like a dressing room for changing, attached washrooms with showers and locker facility. Such facilities can be really helpful when circumstances force you to come to gym early in the morning to workout and then go to your workplace straight from there.

That’s all folks, I have tried to include as many factors that came to my mind which you should look for while getting a gym membership. Feel free to let me know of your opinions and/or some other factors that cross your mind, in the comments section below. PEACE !!!